Large Font Distortion

Forum: Apps
Topic: Large Font Distortion
started by: fodder

Posted by fodder on May 30 2007,20:04

The following screenshots pretty much explain my question:

Firefox 1.0.6 in DSL (2.4 but looks the same in 3.3):

Firefox 2.0.0.3 in Ubuntu Desktop 7.04:

I tested OpenOffice on DSL and it has no distortion, just Firefox and Opera (8 and 9). I included the Ubuntu shot because I didn't have enough memory in my box to run OOo and take a screenshot

, also because I was curious if it was a linux-wide issue. I also tested many different fonts (some already installed in DSL and some downloaded through the repository) all had similar warping on diagonal portions of the letters.

Does anyone know if there is a setting or extension that will get rid of it in DSL?

Posted by curaga on June 01 2007,14:08

DSL doesn't anti-aliase fonts (there is no Xft font server), and only basic fonts were kept for their size.
If you want better looking fonts, get Xfree, and change the default fonts to TrueType ones (they have the best quality....)

Fonts look like that if
-they are low size (=low quality)
-anti-aliasing is off

Posted by fodder on June 01 2007,22:03

Quote (curaga @ June 01 2007,10:08)

get Xfree, and change the default fonts to TrueType ones (they have the best quality....)

Thanks for the help, curaga.

I got XFree86 working but I'm not finding any TrueType fonts that come with it. (I'm using the included vesa config file with a minor modification so my mouse would work.)

Do I need to install my own TTF fonts? After searching in these forums for about an hour I have not found anyone who has successfully imported TTFs into XFree86.

Any thoughts?

(Just so you know where I'm going with this, I'd like to use DSL in a POS setup. All it needs to do is run a javascript-enabled browser full screen on a touch screen - but the fonts have to be normal.

)

Posted by ^thehatsrule^ on June 02 2007,03:33

I think the users who used ttf fonts mainly used the xfstt font server... but here's a link that may be of interest: < http://tldp.org/HOWTO/Font-HOWTO/ > (esp. see sec. 9, 10)

Since most seem to be have some issues about "copyright," I've mainly stuck to .pcf/bitmap (using many sizes) - though I did used some ms core fonts mainly for wine.

And yes you will have to install your own fonts.

Posted by fodder on June 03 2007,07:30

Thanks for jumping in ^thehatsrule^. I had gotten some of it figured out and then saw your post to try xfstt. Once I spent some time on that, I was able to figure it out. Since all the info was so scattered around, I went ahead and created a HOWTO here:
< http://damnsmalllinux.org/cgi-bin....569;r=1 >

Take a look and let me know what can/should be improved/changed.

Thanks again for the help everyone.